VIRGIL, N.Y. — Greek Peak Mountain Resort should enjoy a longer winter-sports season thanks to a new energy-efficient snowmaking process from National Grid, implemented in the fall of 2023, the energy provider announced Thursday.
Using a $384,000 incentive from National Grid, Greek Peak purchased 57 high-efficiency snow guns to cover 55 trails and 220 skiable acres. The resort also added 12 manual KLIK hydrants, electric air compressors, and upgraded pumps for snowmaking. The new system reduces energy usage, saves money, and is environmentally friendly, according to National Grid. Most snowmaking systems use diesel-powered air compressors and electric cooling systems to make and spray snow.
“One of the joys of skiing is being outdoors to enjoy what Mother Nature gives us during the winter months,” Alberto Bianchetti, regional director of customer and community engagement at National Grid, said in a statement. “By implementing new energy-efficient equipment, Greek Peak can extend its ski season and do some environmental good at the same time.”
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Mild temperatures during last year’s season helped lead to Greek Peak making more than 80 percent of its snow. The new system helped the resort save nearly 1.95 million kilowatt-hours of electricity for the year, a 70-percent reduction over prior years, per National Grid. It also reduced the resort’s carbon emissions by more than 3.5 million pounds — the equivalent of planting 155,000 trees or removing 305 cars from the road.
The new pumps also solved a capacity issue as the old system often pumped water quicker than it could compress air, leading to wasted water, energy, and fuel, the energy company stated. The new system balances the water and air, making snow with less energy and in less time. As a result of the improved efficiency, Greek Peak was able to finish making snow in February, having created a sufficient base for the rest of the season.
Greek Peak, founded in 1958, is a four-season resort that offers skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, and snowshoeing in the winter months along with hiking and biking trails the rest of the year. It also includes Hope Lake Lodge, a 105-room hotel, and Cascades Indoor Waterpark.
National Grid’s energy-efficiency program for ski resorts offers sustainable solutions that reduce energy and improve the bottom line with low-energy snow guns, energy-efficient compressed-air systems, variable speed drives and pumps, and LED lighting upgrades and controls, the company said. Other New York ski resorts that partnered with National Grid include Peek’N Peak in southwestern New York, which recently upgraded to energy-efficient systems, extending the ski season by two weeks, while reducing energy use and eliminating diesel-powered generators. Also, Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks earned incentives to install 401 energy-efficient tower-mounted snow guns that produce more than 560 acre-feet of snow annually. The new equipment conserves more than 6.3 million kilowatt-hours a year, resulting in more than $500,000 in energy savings annually, per National Grid.
